The Westin Georgetown

recent wedding. What sold us on the Westin was the option to have a wedding at a hotel in a space that didn’t look like your typical ballroom. The Promenade had ample space, opened out to a lovely courtyard, had tall ceilings with beautiful pillars and floor to ceiling windows. We worked with both Noelle and Lauren, and both made sure to make our day special. As our day approached, we worked most closely with Lauren on our event. She is amazing and made our day so special. She was very prompt in responding to emails and whenever we asked “Could we do X?” the answer was always “Yes!” What a relief to hear when there are so many other things to stress over during the wedding planning process. We had some unexpected changes in guest counts late in the game and Lauren made sure to find ways to best accommodate those changes. The Westin team made sure our décor looked perfect—even more perfect than we planned. They added some expertly placed candles on the stairs and on our tables that looked so amazing and romantic. They broke down the event in no time. Our guests raved about the canapes. One friend was on a mission to find the lamb chops as they were passed around, and other friends were divided between being Team Spring Rolls and Team Pork Belly. At dinner we received a plate of the canapes we missed during cocktail hour, our requested drinks were waiting on our table, we had a personal waiter AND the bartenders refreshed our drinks without even having to ask. (“You’re drink is watered down. Here is a new one”). What amazing service! Our cake was there waiting for us—we selected the flavors and the cake decoration but transportation and logistics were all scheduled between the Westin and the bakery. So easy. Oh and did I mention the bridal suite? I will never stay in a nicer room. We had a spacious room to get ready in (including a pool table and balcony for pictures) plus two adjoining bedrooms. Our wedding was just the easiest day and we had nothing to worry about since our wedding was in such good hands!

e were given conflicting and changing information for much of the process. Second, many of my guests were told upon arrival that rooms were not ready (even after check in time), and many had to wait hours. More than one who had reserved double rooms did not receive them, including families who clearly needed more than one bed. Finally, many of my guests told me they were not given their welcome bags. I called and spoke with the front desk more than once and the issue continued. What's the point is spending all that time and money on the bags if they aren't going to be given to the guests? All around, the experience was disappointing.

d a hotel that could handle a number of aspects of the wedding. We didn't want a run-of-the-mill ballroom. The Courtyard and the Promenade were perfect. They gave us everything we could have wanted for an outdoor ceremony, indoor reception all in one place. The Promenade is a stunning room and was perfect for our reception of 120. CATERING: The food was great. I was nervous about how the food we tried at the tasting would scale up to 120 people, but the kitchen was great. Everyone raved about the food. The service was impeccable - shout out to Han for being an incredible waiter and nice guy. The only issue was with some bar tenders not believing that my mid-20s cousins in from Israel were legal, but I understand liability. COORDINATION: In the end everything worked out, but the process of working with the Westin was very aggravating - a warning to those who like to prepare well in advance. I understand that the summer into fall are busy, but it was frustrating not receiving responses to my questions for weeks - in my line of work, if I don't respond to customers for that long, I'd lose my job. I found that I needed to cc someone other than the coordinator in order to get a response in a timely manner. That said, from the rehearsal through the wedding, the on-site team was present and responsive. They did a great job of making sure my husband and I ate during the reception and guided us from photos to ceremony to family time to reception with ease.

red it to several other venues in DC, and it was clearly the best option. It's unique, it has a gorgeous outdoor space - the courtyard, and it has a lovely water feature. Noelle and her staff were very helpful throughout the entire process. Noelle was always responsive, and if ever we were unsatisfied with something, she was quick to remedy the issue, often with perks beyond our initial expectations. I have heard other hotels might have shady business practices, such as obligating clients to pay for unused rooms in a room block, but that was never the case here. We were impressed with all of he inclusions, especially Noelle, whose services were essential. She and her staff were there throughout the entire wedding, cocktail hour, and reception. The presidential suite is enormous, and was included in our package. They comped two of the guest rooms in the room block. They gave us other surprises that were so wonderfully touching. Some important notes: We had perfect weather, but if another couple isn't as lucky, there is a nice indoor ceremony option away from the ballroom. The canals of Georgetown and the waterfront are beautiful nearby settings for photos if you can escape before or after the ceremony. Side note: The Caucus Room - a restaurant adjacent the courtyard - is not a part of the hotel and it is not a good option for a post-wedding brunch. The service there was not so good. There are lots of great places in the neighborhood that would probably have been better had we budgeted and planned for a day after farewell brunch.

iful when done up for the wedding, we got lots of comments on how pretty the courtyard is with the fountain. The ballroom was perfect in terms of size and comfort/convenience for our ~110 guests, and also "dresses up" really well! Food is really delicious, and we added lots of extras to the menu to make sure everyone was full. The honeymoon suite was fantastic for getting ready - huge and comfortable and lots of space for photos. The planning process was smooth and Noelle has a good attention to detail - the little things that we requested along the way were taken care of. Staff is very courteous and friendly and made the wedding run very smoothly. The Westin is a professional, classy, beautiful city wedding venue and I would recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat.

y wedding a perfect day, a fabulous event. they were responsive throughout the planning process, worked well with my other vendors and my family. The reception room looked gorgeous, the hotel rooms were clean and lovely, the honeymoon suite is so cool! They supplied a brunch the following morning that was spot on as well. All of the team members there - from the guys at the door at the front, to the receptionists and waiters and room service and cleaning staff are rock stars. I highly recommend you check this venue out!

a charming cocktail hour space. CATERING: The chef wrote a menu inspired by our heritage and it was delicious! For the bar, they asked what would feel more "us" so we got our fav whiskey & beer. This made for an extra special touch. It's too bad they couldn't include special cocktails (mojitos, etc) at the regular price but it was an upgrade option. HOTEL: After checking in, the front desk mgr walked us to the suite which was AMAZING by the way! A total gem in the city! The lobby bar was not as "on top of things" but we ended up moving the rehearsal party across the street. COORDINATOR: I was especially impressed at the beginning of the process... working with Noelle to decide what WE wanted for the package. Other hotels did not offer as many options and I didn't want to spend a fortune on something generic. I am a total Type-A and have simple taste so going in I knew that I would not want a planner but I hadn't considered all the tiny details. Noelle walked us through every step... making suggestions for our plans, connecting us with vendors, and checking in on our progress. She even set up our personal items and took them to my moms room at the end of the night. She really made sure that the ceremony, the look, the timeline, and everything else went perfectly. Also, she bustled my dress when the MOH forgot :P I really felt like Noelle, her assistant, and the director all loved their jobs and cared about us having a perfect event. That made a world of difference and helped shape some of our lasting memories with the whole experience. CONCLUSION: I would recommend this venue/caterer to anyone. I couldn't have asked for a more grand and unique space or a better team with the dedication and skills to handle our special day.

d with Noelle who was incredibly accommodating. She worked with us to have the beautiful wedding that we wanted at our price point. She was also very responsive via phone calls and email. Our wedding was greater than expected and we are grateful to Noelle and the rest of the Westin Georgetown staff!

area for a long time and knows the ins and outs of weddings. Anything I contacted Noelle about, she would respond promptly and was always calm and in control. When it came to the day of, the place came alive. The entire staff seemed so excited about the wedding and Noelle orchestrated it flawlessly. I don't think my wedding would have been half of what it was at another venue - this was definitely a dream come true. If you are looking for a city feel for your wedding with a venue rich in DC history - this is the place for you!

r some of the hardest aspects of the event to coordinate - a gorgeous and historical venue that can host your ceremony, cocktail hour (cocktails at a set fee rather than by-the-glass), and reception, DELICIOUS food (our guests are still talking about how much they enjoyed their meals...and we hosted several picky eaters), and perhaps best of all, our Hotel coordinator Noelle Jumaili. We liked her from the very beginning - she is calm, professional, extremely responsive (I sent her a LOT of e-mails, and she got back to me on every one of them), and she has helped coordinate tons of weddings before so she knows exactly how to help you plan the evening and ensure all goes smoothly. We found many of our wonderful vendors through her recommendation. Our wedding night went off without a hitch, and Noelle and staff were there the entire time to help make sure everything went according to plan. We loved the staff as well - all of them (waiters, bartender, Alison, Noelle's assistant) were all smiles, genuinely happy for us and a delight to have working with us. We would recommend this venue to anyone. THANK YOU, Westin Georgetown!!!

d 60 degree weather. In case of bad weather, they have a great indoor option as well. Approximately 200 of our guests felt a light breeze in the lush patio while the fountain trickled as our processional began. After the ceremony, our guests made their way into their ballroom where they relished the beautiful architecture of their space. A DELICIOUS dinner followed and the night went on. Noelle and Megan were such great people to work with. Their calming personalities ensured we would have a great wedding. They responded quickly and were always ready and provided us anything we needed. Noelle was great ensuring they would work with our budget. We did a lot of research, (probably like you right now :) ) and we are so happy and blessed with our decision. Million dollar space design, amazing staff members, rooms for your guests and an enormous suite for the wedding couple to stay in over night… all for an extremely good price. I would book before someone takes your date!

ny at the church. 1. Staff - I worked with Elise Kolle (hoping the spelling is right) and she was honest, and delivered on all the promises made. She exceeded my expectations with the personal treatment and care. She even hooked up upgrades for us. All my questions and emails were always answered promptly and with due care. She is just the most professional and caring event planner of any of the hotels we contacted (over 20). The waiters were all nice and respectful. 2. Food - We chose to have a cocktail hour with 3 different choices. I had guests come up to me and say that the potbelly appetizer was the best they had ever had. I requested to have some sent to our sweetheart table to ensure The groom and I tried them and they WERE AMAZING. Our package included cupcakes so I chose to have mini cupcakes that were displayed on the escort table instead of just boring tent-cards. For the main meal, we chose the steak and the trout meals. The chef even let us change the side dishes. This is something that other venues would charge us for but The Westin gladly accommodated. 3. Venue - Let's be honest, the area should be relabeled "Foggy Circle" because it is closer to Foggy Bottom and Dupont Circle. This is an strategic location for guests to get to by taxi, metro or driving. Most importantly, it is NOT ANOTHER BALLROOM. In DC, it seems that if you are not willing to spend +$60,000, ballrooms are the only option. I was losing hope until I found this GEM. The Promenade Room is an amazing indoor-outdoor space. I love the huge windows with a European style courtyard. They have full furniture, candles, space heaters and a fire pit. It is so very gorgeous! I was surprised to find out that other DC hotels, have multiple weddings on the same day which I feel takes away from your special day. The Westin only hosts 1 event that day so you can be sure all of their efforts will go into making your day go smoothly. You also get a complimentary suite with a pool table for you and additional 2 rooms for family/friends. AMAZING! 4. Price - At first I was a little worried about the budget but this location really paid off. I thought that the Westin was well worth the money and a great value for everything that we got. We signed up for the SPG credit card to pay for the wedding so we could accumulate points towards the honeymoon (then paid the credit card off with our saved $ and took full advantage of the points). This was a brilliant idea because those points were immediately used towards the lodging during the honeymoon. We had so many points that we have used them to attend other out-of-town weddings. Sure, this is probably part of their marketing strategy to ensure customer loyalty and It works. Free lodging is always a good idea. 5. Rooms/Suites - The rooms at the Westin were beautifully clean, very light and airy. The beds are called "Heavenly" and sold at Nordstrom. That statement just puts in perspective what you get. They are eco-friendly and lights turn-off automatically when you leave the room (although this confused some guests). The Presidential Suite (i.e. Bridal Suite) is incredible (having a pool table, a kitchen and dining area). I didn't want to leave since they place is bigger than most apartments in DC.

s, the catering manager. She had an incredible attention to detail, was so warm and friendly and truly made me feel confident every step of the way in planning the event. Eileen was also incredibly fair in her pricing, giving us advice about value-for-money every step of the way and she was always right-on in her advice. There were two mistakes that were made with regard to the bar, but when I raised these issues to Eileen, she deducted a generous portion from our bill with absolutely no questions (only profuse apologies). I would love to plan another event at the Westin and to work with Eileen again. • Food – We got so many compliments on our food and I was lucky enough to even have some myself. We ordered Caesar salad, followed by stations (Baked Virginia Ham & Biscuits, Sautéed Shrimp/Beef & Chicken, a Raw Bar and a Design-Your-Own-Pasta station). Everyone raved about all of the food, went back for seconds, and I also thought that all of the items tasted fantastic. The Westin even gave each table complimentary mini-pastries after dinner. • Location – The Promenade Room was an amazing indoor-outdoor space. I love the huge windows and the lovely courtyard. However, on our wedding day, a hurricane made the outdoor space unusable. Nevertheless, the indoor-garden feel still persisted because of the high ceilings, beautiful columns and lovely warm lighting. • Price – I thought that the Westin was well worth the money and a great value for everything that we got.

k in the doors. The promenade is a gorgeous room with hard wood floors and high ceilings. We had our ceremony outside in the courtyard area. Although we had 103 people in attendance, the courtyard made it feel intimate and cozy. The hotel staff and wedding coordinators provided reliable and great service and were always there when we needed something. I highly recommend this hotel for weddings.

all and closer to some of the seats at the reception than i would have preferred. other than that (and it wasnt that big a deal) it was perfect.